The present invention relates to a device for mooring an aircraft. To avoid the movement of an aircraft in case of strong wind, its front landing gear is moored with the help of at least one line to at least one ring anchored in the ground. Also, the parking places for aircraft comprise at ground level flush rings which do not extend above ground level.
To carry out mooring, a first technique consists in providing at least one line whose first end is secured to a ring in the ground and the second end to an anchoring point on the aircraft. To obtain effective anchoring, it is preferable to use two lines which are connected to the aircraft symmetrically so as better to distribute the forces. A second technique consists in providing a single line whose ends are secured to two rings in the ground, disposed symmetrically relative to the front landing gear, the line passing through an anchoring point on the aircraft. This solution has the advantage of distributing symmetrically the forces and requiring only a single line.
Moreover, the mooring of the aircraft can also be necessary at the time of loading or unloading the aircraft so as to prevent it from tipping rearwardly. In this case, the mooring is carried out on the front landing gear.
These mooring techniques are not satisfactory for the following reasons. Even if the lines can comprise tensioning devices such as a ratchet tensioner, the tension is static and provided for only one condition of the aircraft. However, during its loading or unloading, the suspension of the front landing gear compresses or extends as a function of the load. In the case of extension, if the line or line were already tensioned, the supplemental tension by reason of the elevation of the aircraft can give rise to damage to the mooring. In case of compression, the line or line which were previously tensioned become slack because of the lowering of the aircraft and free in their movements, rendering mooring ineffective.
Also, the present invention seeks to overcome the drawbacks of the existing aircraft mooring devices, by providing a new device providing effective mooring continuously, despite changes in the posture of the aircraft.
To this end, the invention has for its object a mooring device adapted particularly for an aircraft, comprising at least one line or the like ensuring connection between an anchoring point on the aircraft and the ground, characterized in that it comprises dynamic control means of the tension of the line as a function of variations of the distance between the anchoring point on the aircraft and the ground. This arrangement permits having a line that is always tensioned despite variations of load on the suspension device, during loading or unloading of the aircraft.
Preferably, the device is adapted to occupy two conditions, the first so-called free condition in which it is adapted to follow the variations of distance between the anchoring point on the aircraft and the ground, by permitting elongation or shortening of the line, and a second so-called blocked condition, in which it opposes the unwinding of the line. According to another characteristic, the device comprises means adapted to measure the speed of unwinding of the line, said device passing from the free condition to the blocked condition when the unwinding speed exceeds a certain threshold or is subject to abrupt acceleration.
This arrangement permits limiting the risk of swinging of the aircraft rearwardly or its movement during a strong gust of wind.